Corn-planter.



No. 730,775. PATENTED JUNE 9, 1903'.

. J. V. KLEIN.

001m PLANTER.

APPLICATION PILIFDJUIJ 16, 1902. N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

- I 7127 VzZdyzZZea'n abboznu No. 730,775. 'PATENTED JUNE 9, 1903.

I. V. KLEIN. CORN ,PLANTER.

AiPPLIOATION FILED JULY 15. 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL".

3 11 11am to:

PATENTED JUNE'Q, 1903.

J. VQKLEIN.

CORN PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15. 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.}

H0 MODEL Qaweutoz Witnesses ZLWMQ WM w iatented June 9, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

' JOHN VALLEY KLEIN, OF BATTLECREEK, NEBRASKA.

CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 730,775, dated June 9, 1903.

' 7 Application filed July 15, 1902. Serial No. 115,695. (No model.)

To a, whom/it nuty concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN VALLEY- KLEIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Battlecreek, in the county of Madison and State of Nebraska, have invented new and useful Improvements in Corn-Planters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to corn-planters; and the object thereof is to provide an improved means for planting corn and checking off the rows.

Other objects, as well as the novel details of construction, will be specifically described hereinafter, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cornplanter constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the same, showing the, levers for controlling the depth at which the. runner enters the ground. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on'the opposite side of the lever for operating the shoe or runner. Fig. i is a top plan view of the clutch for throwing the agitator into and out of operation; and Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the ratchet-wheel, pawl, and rods for actuating the ratchet-wheel adjacent the seedbox. Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of one of the seed-hoppers and the seed-tube, the check. mechanism being shown applied thereto.

The reference-numerals 1 and 2 designate the wheels of the planter, which are j ournaled on a suitable axle 3, supporting an approximately rectangular or wheel frame 4, having forwardly-extending ends, to which are pivoted the front or runner frame 5 by means of brackets 6.

The reference-numeral 7 designates a tongue of the machine which is carried by the shoe or runner-frame and projects rearwardly thereof to a point between the wheels 1' and 2.

On the frame 4: is pivoted a lever 8, to which is also secured a longitudinal extension 9, the whole forming a bell-crank lever, the vertical arm of which forms a handle to be grasped by the operator, and the longitudinal arm being provided with a foot-piece 10, which can be engaged by the foot of the operator from the seat 11. The lever 8 carries a springpressed sliding dog 12, designed to engage a rigid segmental rack 13, also carried by the frame, whereby the lever is held in any determined position. v,

Carried by the lever Sis a forwardly-projecting arm 14, which is secured to the tongue 7 by a spring-retained link-bar 15, operating in a loop 16, whereby a resilient connection is made. between the runner-frame of the machine and the frame' l. By operating the lever 8 by its vertical arm or its extension 9 the shoe or front frame can be tilted as occasiondemands. If in passing over the earth the shoe strikes an obstruction or inequality in the ground, the jar will be taken up by the flexible connection formed by the elements 15 and 16.

17 designates a stirrer or agitator, which is journaled on the shaft18 in suitable bearings immediately below the hopper 19, it being understood, of course, that there are two hoppers and corresponding number of stirrers.

Arranged also on the shaft 18 and adjacent each hopper is a ratchet-wheel 20, which is jfixed on the shaft and designed to be rotated so as to actuate the agitator. tard the rotation of the ratchet 20, I provide In order to rea spring-pressed pivoted arm 21 adjacent thereto, which carries a roller 22, designed to normally rest between the teeth of the ratchet.

Arranged immediately below the shaft and wheels just described is a horizontal 1ongitudinally-positioned guide 23,'which is provided with a groove 24: in its upper face, in which slides a guide-bar 25, carried by one end of a link 26, which is fastened to an arm 27, projecting from a rock-shaft 28, extending across the machine and supported in bearings in the rear of the runner-frame by means of journals or brackets29. Carried by the bar 26 is a pivoted dog 30, which successively engages the teeth of the ratchet 20, so as to rotate the shaft 18 in one direction,and therefore agitate the seed within the hopper. This rock-shat t 28 is operated through the medium of and connected to a pivoted lever 33, carried by the frame of themachine and having a bifurcated end 34, which engages a clutch member 35, actuated by a pivoted lever 36, so as to be thrown into engagement with the clutch member 37, whereby the rotation of the wheels 1 and 2,carrying trips 38,will strike against the spring-retained projecting finger 39, carried by the clutch member 37, so that the lever 33 will be actuated so as to operate the rock-shaft 28 and the mechanism effected thereby. By operating the lever 36 from right to left the clutch member 35 will be thrown out of engagement with the member 37, so that the rotation of the wheel 2 will not effect the seed-agitating device.

Connected to the shaft 28 and carried by the seed-tube 40 is a check mechanism 41, having valves 42 and 43, located a suitable distance apart and connected by a link-rod 44, so that a quantity of grain will be intermittently dropped as the machine moves over the path to be traversed.

The frame 3 carries a pivoted lever 45, which engages a segmental rack 46 by means of a dog 47 and carries an elevating-rod 418, so that by pressing upon the foot-piece 49 the rod will be forced into contact with the earth, whereby the wheel-frame can be elevated to correct inaccuracies in the planter.

Secured to the rear of the wheel-frame is a rook-shaft 50, the ends of which terminate adjacent the rims of the wheels and carries scrapers 51 and 52 to free the rims or tires from dirt. The shaft can be controlled to force the scrapers toward and away from the wheel-tires by means of a foot-lever 53, se-

cured to a bell-crank 54, which in turn is fastened to an arm 55, rigidly secured to the shaft.

The markers on each side of the wheelframe are indicated by reference-numerals 56, and these markers are secured to the respective ends of the axles, being approximately U-shapedin form, and are secured to the axle by means of universal joints 57. Flexible connections 58 are secured to the respective markers and pass around a pulley 59, carried by a standard 60 of the frame of the machine, and are finally engaged by means of eccentrics 61, carried by the top or rear standards 62. The operator from the seat of the machine can control these markers manually by grasping the flexible connection 58, whereby the markers can be manipulated. c

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination withasupported frame, of a hopper, a feed mechanism provided below the hopper comprising a seed-tube and check movement within the tube, comprising two valves designed to alternately open and close the seed-tube, a shaft arranged adjacent the hopper, an agitator projected into the hopper from below, a sliding bar connected to the shaft and adapted to operate the agitatoizand simultaneously work the check movement.

2. In a planter, the combination with a supported frame, of a hopper, a feed mechanism provided below the hopper and comprisinga seed-tube, a pair of alternating valves designed to open and close the seed-tube, a shaft arranged adjacent the hopper, a sliding bar connectedto the shaft, a second Shaft arranged beneath the hopper, an agitator on the shaft, a ratchet-wheel also carried by the shaft, a pivoted dog carried by the bar and adapted to engage the ratchetwheel, and means for operating the first-named shaft.

3. In aplanter, the combination with asupported frame, of a hopper and drop mechanism carried by the frame an oscillating shaft arranged adjacent the hopper, an upwardlyprojecting arm carried by the shaft, a bar connected to the arm, an agitator arranged adjacent the hopper, means on the sliding arm for actuating the agitator, a second shaft carried by the frame, a link connection between the first and second shaft, and an arm carried by the second shaft, and means for successively striking the arm.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN VALLEY KLEIN. Witnesses:

P. F. ZIMMERMAN, WILLIAM KLEIN. 

